Pages

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

I'm really a big fan of Interplay craft sets, and the latest one we've tried has been a massive hit with my 6 year old. The Wood Worx T-Rex will allow any child to make a fabulous looking wooden T-Rex model which has an articulated jaw and a neck, and a really fierce looking roar!

Inside the box is absolutely everything you will need to create your model - including a really nice double-ended paint brush and some good quality quick-drying glue. The model itself is entirely made from 23 wooden pieces.

To decorate and personalise your model, paints are included, and a sheet of stickers. The stickers are very clever and it means that with this age 5+ set, whatever your level of skill, you can always finish with a lovely looking model.

Our 6 year old tested the set and he has really taken it very seriously. He's listened to advice and read the instructions, and even though he's never made anything from wood before, he found it very easy to use the kit.

Plain and half built, the model is already clearly taking shape, which offers instant reward for younger children, and there has been opportunity for the model maker to add personal touches, placing the spines and tail where they wish them to be. Wood Worx are brilliant kits for encouraging children to experiment a little and are brilliant for confidence-building.

Once the T-Rex body is built and the glue has dried, it's time for painting. My 6 year old is keen to copy the decoration of the picture on the box, so has opted to use paints and the stickers, but he wanted his T-Rex to be more upright, so stuck his dinosaur's arms and legs at a different angle.

In order to make our T-Rex stand more upright unaided we needed better balance, so we actually glued 2 pennies onto the bottom of his tail to make him more sturdy.

My 6 year old has painted his T-Rex very carefully over a period of time - letting each layer of paint dry before moving to the next colour - so it isn't quite finished yet, but the stickers are on and he's looking pretty fierce!

The Interplay Wood Worx T-Rex retails at £9.99 and I think for that price offers a lot of enjoyment for your young person. The build and painting job will probably be quicker for you than for my overly-cautious artist, but even so, it'll take several hours to put together, and turning a pile of wood into a ferocious T Rex is something any child can feel proud of!

And the articulation in the model is just enough that you can get some real expression into your pose...

Interplay have very kindly offered a Wood Worx T-Rex Craft Kit as a prize for one of my readers. Entry is by Gleam form below. No entries are mandatory, and each extra entry gives you more chances to win. The giveaway is UK entry only, and will end at midnight Wednesday 22nd July. Please see the bottom of the Gleam form for full T's and C's.

Translate

Parenting And Play Blog.

Play and entertainment for children and young people from tiny to teen and beyond. Skilled at Lego building and mending all things broken or trodden on. Grieving the loss of our oldest girl in August 2014, but still collecting smiles as often as possible.